INDIANAPOLIS -- For the third-straight year, a Wright State student-athlete earns Player of the Year honors as senior Kim Demmings was named the 2015-16 accolade in voting by the League’s coaches, media and sports information directors.
Demmings becomes the seventh player in League history to be named Player of the Year twice. The senior became the all-time scoring leader in conference history this year after averaging 20.2 points per game in League play. Demmings will finish her career with over 2,600 points during her time as a Raider.
Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz was voted Coach of the Year in her fourth season at the helm after capturing the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Championship. Rechlicz guided the Panthers to a 12-6 League record this year to mark a seven-game improvement from a year ago.
Cleveland State’s Ashanti Abshaw earned Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-League honors as she led all newcomers in points per game (17.1) and rebounds per game (10.2) to average a double-double in conference play. The freshman tabbed seven double-doubles against League opponents in addition to averaging 2.3 steals per game.
Green Bay senior Kaili Lukan led the Green Bay defense this year and was named Defensive Player of the Year. The Phoenix surrendered just 48.6 points per game in League play to lead the conference and ranks ninth in the nation in overall games with a 51.9 scoring defense average. Lukan also averaged 2.0 spg, which is fourth in the League.
Detroit sophomore Brianne Cohen was a spark off the bench all year for the Titans and received the Sixth Person of the Year accolade. Despite coming off the bench, the sophomore ranked third in scoring in conference play with 17.9 ppg and second in field goal percentage (.596).
Joining Demmings on the First Team is fellow senior Ruvanna Campbell from UIC. Campbell ranks fifth in the nation in double-doubles with 21 and averages 18.3 ppg and 13.9 rpg in the League. Campbell also ranks fourth nationally in rebounds per game with a 13.5 average accumulated all season. This year marks Campbell’s third-straight First Team selection.
Milwaukee’s Steph Kostowicz took the next spot on the First Team as the sophomore tallied 13.8 ppg and 8.9 rpg. She also posted seven double-doubles versus League opponents to help clinch the No. 2 seed for the Panthers in the tournament.
Junior Rosanna Reynolds of Detroit led the League in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and was well-rounded for the Titans with a stat line of 15.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 4.9 apg. She ranks 18 in the nation with a free throw percentage of .865 and is second in the League with a 86.4 percentage.
The final member of the First Team is Northern Kentucky senior Christine Roush. Roush is fifth in the League in scoring with 16.8 ppg and posts an impressive .915 free three percentage after only missing seven the entire season. Not only is she efficient from the charity stripe, Roush also ranked second in three-point field goals made with 50 to average 2.8 per game.
Mehryn Kraker headlined the Second Team All-League for the second-straight year. The junior was very versatile for the Phoenix this season averaging 11.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.3 apg and 2.0 spg.
Youngstown State’s Sarah Cash joins Kraker and Abshaw as the sophomore led the League in field goal percentage (.603) and ranks third in the nation in this category. Cash went for 15.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 1.8 spg for the Penguins in conference play.
Oakland’s Olivia Nash and Green Bay’s Lukan round out the Second Team. Nash averaged 15.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg and a field goal percentage of .511. She now becomes the second Golden Grizzly to make a conference Second Team.
Abshaw tops the All-Freshman Team and is accompanied by fellow standout Taylor Jones from Oakland. Jones tallied 13.9 ppg and 1.4 spg for the Golden Grizzlies.
In addition, Wright States’s Emily Vogelpohl, Valparaiso’s Meredith Hamlet and Northern Kentucky’s Molly Glick completed the team. Vogelpohl posted 11.6 ppg, 2.9 apg and 1.9 spg for the Raiders this year. Hamlet was key to the Crusader’s offense providing 10.2 ppg and 2.3 three-point field goals per game. Glick was a strong presence for the Norse beyond the arc, averaging 40 percent from three-point range.
Lukan is paired with Cleveland State junior Brook Smith, Campbell, fellow Green Bay teammate Jessica Lindstrom and Wright State junior Richelle van der Keijl on the All-Defensive Team. Smith led the League in steals with 2.9 spg while van der Keijl was tops in blocked shots with 2.4 bpg. van der Keijl also tabbed 8.8 rpg just edged by Lindstrom’s 9.3 rpg to rank in the top-five in the conference.
The Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship begins Thursday, March 10 with No. 4 Detroit taking on No 9 Valparaiso at 1:00 p.m. ET, followed by No. 5 Northern Kentucky against No. 8 Cleveland State at 3:30 p.m. ET, No. 3 Wright State versus No. 10 UIC at 6:00 p.m. ET and concluding with No. 6 Youngstown State facing No. 7 Oakland at 8:30 p.m. ET. The winners will face each other on Friday, March 11 in the second round as No. 1 Green Bay and No. 2 Milwaukee receive a double-bye to the semifinal round. All games will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The Championship final will take place on Sunday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPNU.
Tags: Horizon League - Women's Basketball
